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verb (used with object)
1.
to carry or have on the body or about the person as a covering, equipment, ornament, or the like: to wear a coat; to wear a saber; to wear a disguise.
2.
to have or use on the person habitually: to wear a wig.
3.
to bear or have in one's aspect or appearance: to wear a smile; to wear an air of triumph.
4.
to cause (garments, linens, etc.) to deteriorate or change by wear: Hard use has worn these gloves.
5.
EXPANDto impair, deteriorate, or consume gradually by use or any continued process: Long illness had worn the bloom from her cheeks.
6.
to waste or diminish gradually by rubbing, scraping, washing, etc.: The waves have worn these rocks.
7.
to make (a hole, channel, way, etc.) by such action.
8.
to bring about or cause a specified condition in (a person or thing) by use, deterioration, or gradual change: to wear clothes to rags; to wear a person to a shadow.
9.
to weary; fatigue; exhaust: Toil and care soon wear the spirit.
10.
to pass (time) gradually or tediously (usually followed by away or out): We wore the afternoon away in arguing.
11.
Nautical. to bring (a vessel) on another tack by turning until the wind is on the stern.
12.
COLLAPSEBritish Dialect. to gather and herd (sheep or cattle) to a pen or pasture.
verb (used without object)
13.
to undergo gradual impairment, diminution, reduction, etc., from wear, use, attrition, or other causes (often followed by away, down, out, or off).
14.
to retain shape, color, usefulness, value, etc., under wear, use, or any continued strain: a strong material that will wear; colors that wear well.
15.
(of time) to pass, especially slowly or tediously (often followed by on or away): As the day wore on, we had less and less to talk about.
16.
to have the quality of being easy or difficult to tolerate, especially after a relatively long association: It's hard to get to know him, but he wears well.
17.
EXPANDNautical. (of a vessel) to come round on another tack by turning away from the wind.
18.
COLLAPSEObsolete. to be commonly worn; to be in fashion.
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Wear down
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
noun
Verb phrases19.
the act of wearing; use, as of a garment: articles for winter wear; I've had a lot of wear out of this coat.
20.
the state of being worn, as on the person.
21.
clothing or other articles for wearing, especially when fashionable or appropriate for a particular function (often used in combination): travel wear; sportswear.
22.
gradual impairment, wasting, diminution, etc., as from use: The carpet shows wear.
23.
the quality of resisting deterioration with use; durability.
24.
wear down,
a.
to reduce or impair by long wearing: to wear down the heels of one's shoes.
b.
to weary; tire: His constant talking wears me down.
c.
to prevail by persistence; overcome: to wear down the opposition.
25.
wear off, to diminish slowly or gradually or to diminish in effect; disappear: The drug began to wear off.
26.
Idiomwear out,
a.
to make or become unfit or useless through hard or extended use: to wear out clothes.
b.
to expend, consume, or remove, especially slowly or gradually.
c.
to exhaust, as by continued strain; weary: This endless bickering is wearing me out.
27.
wear thin,
a.
to diminish; weaken: My patience is wearing thin.
b.
to become less appealing, interesting, tolerable, etc.: childish antics that soon wore thin.
Origin:
before 900; (v.) Middle English weren to have (clothes) on the body, waste, damage, suffer waste or damage, Old English werian; cognate with Old Norse verja, Gothic wasjan to clothe; (noun) late Middle English were act of carrying on the body, derivative of the v.; akin to Latin vestis clothing (see vest)
before 900; (v.) Middle English weren to have (clothes) on the body, waste, damage, suffer waste or damage, Old English werian; cognate with Old Norse verja, Gothic wasjan to clothe; (noun) late Middle English were act of carrying on the body, derivative of the v.; akin to Latin vestis clothing (see vest)
Related forms
wear·er, noun
re·wear, verb, re·wore, re·worn, re·wear·ing.
Synonyms
26c. tire, fatigue, drain.
26c. tire, fatigue, drain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To wear down
Collins
World English Dictionary
| wear down | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc |
| 2. | to overcome or be overcome gradually by persistent effort |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
wear
O.E. werian "to clothe, put on," from P.Gmc. *wazjanan (cf. O.N. verja, O.H.G. werian, Goth. gawasjan "to clothe"), from PIE *wes- "to clothe" (cf. Skt. vaste "he puts on," vasanam "garment;" Avestan vah-; Gk. esthes "clothing," hennymi "to clothe," eima "garment;" L. vestire; Welsh gwisgo, Breton gwiska;
EXPANDO.E. wæstling "sheet, blanket;" Hittite washshush "garments," washanzi "they dress"). The Gmc. forms "were homonyms of the vb. for 'prevent, ward off, protect' (Goth. warjan, O.E. werian, etc.), and this was prob. a factor in their early displacement in most of the Gmc. languages" [Buck]. Shifted from a weak verb (past tense and pp. wered) to a strong one (past tense wore, p.p. worn) in 14c. on analogy of rhyming strong verbs such as bear and tear. Secondary sense of "use up, gradually damage" (c.1275) is from effect of continued use on clothes. To be the worse for wear is attested from 1782; wear and tear is first recorded 1666.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
wear definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
wear down
Diminish, weaken, or tire by relentless pressure, as in The heels of these shoes are quite worn down, or Her constant nagging about getting a new car wore down his resistance. [First half of 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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